


Sea Star Time

by Umbr_el_on



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aquariums, Established Relationship, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26271853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbr_el_on/pseuds/Umbr_el_on
Summary: “Are you feeling alright today?” Dimitri rested his hands on the table, palms up and fingers open.“Yes. Why?” Byleth reached out and rested her hands on top of Dimitri’s, flashing him a subtle look of confusion.“You’re just… quite talkative today. That’s all. It’s nice.” Dimitri gave Byleth’s hands a reassuring squeeze.“I’m comfortable here, with you.”The answer was simple and perhaps obvious, but it hit Dimitri all the same. A deep sense of pride in giving Byleth that sense of comfort swelled in Dimitri’s chest. She deserved to feel at ease, to have somewhere she could express herself without hesitation or fear of judgment. Knowing he was firmly a part of that environment was even better.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 53





	Sea Star Time

No matter how many times they came to the aquarium, something always lit up in Byleth’s eyes when they got there. As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway, Dimitri felt the way Byleth perked up, excitement as subtle as ever, but present nonetheless. Her shoulders lowered and relaxed, mouth pulled up into the tiniest smile a person could wear. She fidgeted, too, leg bouncing rhythmically, fingers twisting into the seatbelt during the drive. Once they’d made it out of the quick twists and turns of the neighborhood, Dimitri entertained conversation.

“What are you most excited to see today?” Dimitri spared a glance over to Byleth before refocusing on the road.

Byleth tilted her head in thought for a brief moment before turning to Dimitri with an answer. “The Chocolate Chip Sea Star.”

Dimitri hummed with curiosity. “Why is that?”

Byleth didn’t hesitate to answer this time. “They’re new and look like fresh chocolate chip cookies.”

Dimitri chuckled, caught off guard by the response. Byleth typically expressed interest in sea creatures they’d recently studied, so the answer Dimitri could relate to was refreshing. When Byleth didn’t offer further conversation, Dimitri turned up the radio. Eighties pop filled the car, just the right type of music to get Byleth tapping her hand against her leg.

The short drive to the aquarium breezed by after a few songs. When they turned into the parking lot, Byleth leaned forward in her seat to get a glimpse of the building with wide eyes. It was a habit of hers to lean over and look as they arrived, as if she regularly needed to affirm that the building was still there, and still an aquarium. Dimitri smiled and made quick work of parking.

“Do you have the tickets printed, or do I need to find the email?” Dimitri climbed out and shut the door behind him.

Byleth appeared around the back of the car, papers already in hand, and Dimitri sighed affectionately. “I’m not sure why I even asked.”

Byleth grabbed Dimitri’s hand with her own and marched towards the entrance, a faint smile on her lips. “It’s best to make sure.”

“You’re correct, though you are always far more prepared for trips to the aquarium than I am.” Dimitri hustled along with Byleth, working to keep up despite how much shorter she was.

“I like to maximize the time we spend inside,” Byleth said, plain and honest.

Dimitri grunted in acknowledgment as they approached the entrance gates. They’d grown old and rusty in the few short years since they started visiting, but the age added charm to the scenes of aquatic life swimming and diving around blue metal bars.

Byleth unfolded the tickets as they drew near, having them ready and sliding under the window before the employee had even finished saying hello. The employee gave Byleth a mildly irritated look. Dimitri knew this habit of Byleth’s wasn’t as cute to everyone else as it was to him.

“Hello,” Dimitri said, giving the employee an apologetic smile as he set a hand on Byleth’s shoulder. “She’s quite eager to get in.”

“Hi, I can see that,” the man answered flatly while he scanned the barcodes on the tickets, seemingly thrown off by the childlike enthusiasm from a grown woman. “You’re all set, have a great visit.”

“We will, thank you,” Byleth said, bowing her head respectfully before turning away and walking towards the doors, Dimitri’s hand sliding from her shoulder in the process.

After Dimitri paused to process Byleth’s unusual and sudden politeness to a stranger, he caught up to her again. Dimitri took one of her hands and laced their fingers together, giving it a soft squeeze as they lingered in the grand entrance.

The mosaic of seashells and popular sea creatures were scuffed from years of being walked over, but Byleth stopped to admire it like a new treasure each time. Her eyes lingered longest over the sea otters, creatures she’d expressed the desire to hold someday. Perhaps when she got a career at an aquarium or similar facility after graduation, she could have that dream come true.

“We should get something like this done in our house one day,” Dimitri offered, kissing Byleth’s forehead.

“We should.” To anyone else, she looked entirely unenthused by the suggestion, but Dimitri saw the way her eyebrows twitched and eyes lit up in a brief display of surprise and excitement.

“Now,” Dimitri muttered and pulled the map he’d grabbed by the door open with his free, “where are those Chocolate Chip Sea Stars?”

“They’ll be in the Indio-Pacific area, with other species common around the Philippines.” Byleth took one last look at the tile mosaic before she tugged Dimitri towards the right section of the aquarium.

For all of the appearances of having a set goal in mind, Dimitri knew it would take them quite some time to make it to the Indio-Pacific tanks. They were a few other areas deep into the aquarium, and Byleth was too full of interest and information to walk past all of those beautiful creatures. She never had been, which is how Dimitri came to understand that an aquarium date was more like an aquarium day.

They hadn’t gone more than 50 feet into the exhibits before Byleth started pausing and approaching the glass, dropping tidbits of information about every species she could. Dimitri listed passively, smiling and nodding. He never could retain much of Byleth’s technical prattling, but he could appreciate the way she looked as she delivered it.

Being in the aquarium was one of the rare occasions in which Byleth expressed true, unrestrained excitement. Their passion for aquatic life had only grown after they began studying marine biology in school, a decision she’d needed much encouragement to commit to. A full smile and bright eyes tinted by the hundreds of thousands of gallons of water surrounding them put a spell on Dimitri.

He watched, entranced, as Byleth gestured and pointed with enthusiasm to things in the tanks. Her head turned to watch the subject of her infodumping whenever it swam by, and Dimitri spared the strange creatures a glance whenever he had a reprieve from being madly in love. Many of them looked the same or similar to him, but he tried his best to identify what creatures Byleth talked about.

They weaved through several tanks this way, burning through nearly an hour of Byleth talking as Dimitri nodded and smiled along between lovestruck sighs and stolen glances. When Byleth finally needed a rest from her lecturing and emotional high, Dimitri was more than ready to pick up the conversation. Eyeing a directional sign at the end of the hallway, Dimitri knew exactly what to suggest.

“By, why don’t we get something to eat before we visit the Chocolate Chip Sea Stars?”

“Can we get cookies?” Byleth asked, expression far too serious for her request.

“Of course! Perhaps we can bring one to show the Sea Stars,” Dimitri suggested, tugging them towards the central restaurant.

“They’ll only see it if they pick up their arms.”

“Well, I hope they’ll wave at us!” Dimitri chuckled.

Byleth smiled softly, and Dimitri’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. Her smiles were so rare away from the tanks, each one a treasure Dimitri stored away for days when her even expression made him worry about her. The fact it was brought on by his words and nothing else was even more special. Her visible smiles were reserved for things she was truly passionate about. Knowing Dimitri had grown to be one of those things warmed his heart in a way nothing else ever had.

“What are you going to order?” Byleth squinted at the menu.

“A personal cheese pizza. What will you have?” Dimitri knew the answer before he asked the question.

“Chicken nuggets.”

“And our chocolate chip cookies! Do you want one or two?” Dimitri reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet.

Byleth considered the question for a moment, uncertainty evident in her expression. Finally, she held up their hand with two fingers raised and a mischievous glint in her eyes. Dimitri added up the total for their order in his head, pulling out his card when he realized he didn’t have enough cash with him for everything.

By that point, they’d made it up to the counter. It took a few minutes for an employee to get to the register from where they’d been preparing food, but Dimitri didn’t mind. He offered a smile as the girl approached them, prepared to speak.

“Hello, thank you for waiting. What can I get started for you?” The girl punched some numbers into the register before looking up, eyes flickering between Byleth and Dimitri.

Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, but Byleth beat him to it.

“We’d like a cheese pizza meal, a chicken nugget meal, and four chocolate chip cookies, please.” Byleth paced her answer to give the girl time to punch the items in while Dimitri tried not to be obvious in how stunned he was at Byleth’s willingness to order.

“Alright, that comes out to… $17.83.” Dimitri had his card held out towards the girl before Byleth could try and pay for the food.

After the card was run and their number handed to them, Byleth and Dimitri found a table to wait at. They slid into the chairs and settled down, Byleth setting the number down at the edge of the table for the wait staff to see. She scanned the area, eyes lingering over any tanks they could see from their vantage point. Dimitri gave her a moment of peaceful observation before breaking the silence.

“Are you feeling alright today?” Dimitri rested his hands on the table, palms up and fingers open.

“Yes. Why?” Byleth reached out and rested her hands on top of Dimitri’s, flashing him a subtle look of confusion.

“You’re just… quite talkative today. That’s all. It’s nice.” Dimitri gave Byleth’s hands a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m comfortable here, with you.”

The answer was simple and perhaps obvious, but it hit Dimitri all the same. A deep sense of pride in giving Byleth that sense of comfort swelled in Dimitri’s chest. She deserved to feel at ease, to have somewhere she could express herself without hesitation or fear of judgment. Knowing he was firmly a part of that environment was even better.

Dimitri tried to muster up something sweet to say back, but their food arrived before anything could formulate. When Byleth let her eyes flutter shut after getting a handful of fries, Dimitri knew the moment was over. At least they’d have many more, he thought, as he took a bite out of his pizza.

They ate quickly, hungrier than either of them expected to be. Greasy meals made their fingers and lips shine, prompting the occasional giggle or chuckle, but neither of them were willing to pause eating to actually speak. With their food shoveled away at shockingly similar paces for their different sizes and demeanors, they grabbed their individually wrapped cookies and stood up.

“Sea star time,” Byleth declared, a spring to her step as she pushed her chair back under the table.

“Sea star time,” Dimitri agreed with a chuckle, taking Byleth’s hand back as they set off once more through the dim hallways lined with tanks.

With her initial lecturing out of the way, Byleth made fewer diversions towards tanks during the second half of their trek. She still pointed at creatures and dropped a fact or two occasionally, but it was easier to follow now that it was less frequent and intense.

Finally, two and a half hours or so after their arrival, the couple stepped into the orange-colored section of the Indio-Pacific.

Byleth looked around in awe, her mouth open slightly. The area entrance was a tunnel that hadn’t been occupied during their last visit, with several species of fish surrounding them. When a school of fish began to swim by, they turned to watch them go in easy silence.

“I apologize for my behavior today.” Byleth stared into the water, but her enthusiasm was visibly dampened.

“Why? You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I can’t help myself, but you did not ask for me to ramble at you.” Byleth sighed, giving her head one firm shake.

“Byleth…” When Byleth didn’t move or speak, Dimitri tried again. “Byleth, would you please look at me?”

Byleth turned to face Dimitri, expression pensive and lips pursed. Dimitri took her face between his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks. She softened a little, but not enough to satisfy him. Taking a deep breath, he sank into the unexpectedly special feeling of the moment to open up.

“By, I love hearing about all of this. I may not understand or remember it well, but I enjoy hearing and seeing your passion. Please, don’t stop sharing. I wish to hear all you’d like to say. About fish or otherwise.” Dimitri kept his voice low to avoid drawing attention from the people walking by.

Byleth’s expression shifted more, but Dimitri knew he could do better.

Taking a deep breath, Dimitri allowed himself a moment of preparation before letting himself be vulnerable in public. “I love you.”

Byleth’s eyes widened. Dimitri’s brain felt fuzzy. They both knew how hard it was for him to say that so openly. The fear of losing things he held close was forever woven into his being, but he was learning not to let that fear control him.

It was Dimitri’s turn to have wide eyes when Byleth leaned forward and gave him a light kiss.

The contact was brief, but it said everything that Dimitri needed to know. It said “I love you,” “thank you,” and “I understand.” When Byleth leaned back and her eyes met Dimitri’s, he felt stable on his feet once again.

Perhaps the offering of comfort was not as one-directional as Dimitri sometimes understood it. As much as he liked to be strong for Byleth, sometimes he needed her just as much. It was why they fit together so magically. They could speak without saying a word, read each other like their souls were written on their cheeks. Dimitri never wanted it to end.

Without another word, Dimitri set off towards their destination. Byleth followed without getting distracted, a testament to how focused she was on Dimitri. He could feel her gaze, warm and comforting on his neck. Smiling when he saw what they were looking for, Dimitri started pulling their cookies out of his pockets.

“There they are!” He announced, stepping aside to let Byleth see.

Her mouth dropped open as eyes lit up brighter than they’d been all day. She approached the glass as if under a spell, eyes glued to the creatures dotting the bottom of a medium tank. Dimitri hovered back, giving her a moment all her own.

The Chocolate Chip Sea Stars were much larger than Dimitri had anticipated. The biggest ones were a foot and a half across, the smallest about four inches. True to their name, each one had a pale cream to yellow-red body, adorned with dark lumps spread evenly over their bodies. If not for them being in an aquarium tank, Dimitri could have mistaken them for well-shaped cookies.

“They’re amazing.” Dimitri set one hand on Byleth’s shoulder, the other offering her a cookie.

She took the offering and unwrapped it, leaning into Dimitri’s touch. Sticking the wrapper in her purse, Byleth held the cookie lower, as if showing it to the sea stars. Dimitri nearly leaped out of his skin when a sea star picked up an arm and made Byleth giggle.

Puffing air out of his nose to collect himself, Dimitri looked down at the information plaque for the sea stars while Byleth went about eating her dessert. He pulled out a cookie of his own and began to eat, mindful of leaving crumbs behind.

The usual information was etched into the plaque, like what region they were most commonly in, the depth they lived at, and what type of diet they had. The last bit of information, however, is what Dimitri was most interested in. He read it over a second time to be sure he understood it before he spoke up.

“Huh, this says they’re commonly added to saltwater aquariums as a beginner species.”

Dimitri didn’t realize what conversation he’d opened up until it was too late. Byleth had a pleading expression on, and Dimitri knew what was coming before she uttered a sound. He braced himself, but a smile started forming on his lips at the same time.

“Could I start an aquarium?” Byleth asked earnestly, looking away from the sea stars just long enough to ensure Dimitri saw her expression.

Dimitri laughed even though he expected the question. He let Byleth stew for just a moment, her puppy eyes too sweet to let go so soon. He’d expected this question months ago. If anything, it was a surprise it took this long for the thought to occur to Byleth. Once Dimitri felt like she’d waited long enough, he nodded.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Perhaps we can pick out the inhabitants together?” Dimitri took Byleth’s hand again, ignoring the cookie crumbs clinging to her fingers.

“I’d love to,” Byleth whispered back.

She looked and sounded awestruck, as if she couldn’t believe Dimitri was so quick to agree. It was endearing, really. Why would he deny her of something that offered her so much joy and peace? Especially when we knew she’d put in the time to do research and do it properly? Still, he was not without selfish reasons for agreeing to this endeavor.

Seeing Byleth so happy and at ease did wonders for Dimitri. They fed from each other’s energy as much as anyone they’d ever known. They soared through highs and sank through lows as one. Romantic as it was to share their emotional lives to that degree, it also meant that low points were particularly hard. If an aquarium offered them a task to do and things to care for, perhaps their low points wouldn’t be as severe.

“Dimitri?”

Looking over, Dimitri was amused to find Byleth looking shy. She held her hands together in front of her body and rocked side to side, not quite meeting Dimitri’s gaze.

“Yes?”

“I’d like to go home and start researching our aquarium.”

Byleth had never been the one to ask about going home from the aquarium. “Sure, if you’re ready to go.”

Byleth paused. She nibbled her lower lip, a tell that she was battling internally. Dimitri let her have the moment of quiet. This was a bigger decision than it would seem to anyone else.

She was contemplating leaving a familiar place and bringing a piece of it into their relationship. It was no small decision for her to invest that type of commitment to their home. As much as Dimitri longed to be entrusted with her passion like that, this was not a decision he had any right to sway her on. Just as Dimitri began to grow anxious, Byleth softened.

“I’m ready.”

Face breaking into a grin, Dimitri gave Byleth a quick hug. She returned it for a split second before they broke apart. Waving at the Chocolate Chip Sea Stars, they weaved their way back to the entrance of the aquarium. They’d been inside for about three hours. A usual visit was closer to five, but Dimitri’s tired feet had no complaints.

They practically skipped back to the car, smiles and laughs occasionally slipping out of them to cut through the silence. The feeling pounding in Dimitri’s veins in that moment was indescribable. Dimitri did his best to bottle it up and keep in his mind for a rainy day. He could see Byleth drinking in the moment in much the same way, another moment of being in sync that made Dimitri feel right at home.

When they climbed into the car, Byleth pulled out her phone and opened a tab to begin her research. Her eyebrows were furrowed, mind focused entirely on studying up on aquariums. Dimitri questioned why she’d never learned about this as part of her degree, but he supposed it may be something for later or that home aquariums weren’t a priority in her studies. After all, they still had a year left before graduating, and her degree was relatively specific.

Shifting the car into reverse, Dimitri leaned over and kissed Byleth’s cheek as he backed out of their parking space. Byleth kept reading, but the faint blush on her cheeks as they pulled onto the main road did not go unnoticed. Dimitri hoped he’d see many more of them throughout the process of building their own aquarium into a thriving ecosystem.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Twitter!](https://mobile.twitter.com/umbr_el_on) ✨💕


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